Cripe was working on Eagle, which is a vaguely strat-shaped semi-hollow, when Jerry died. On the Cripe Guitars website there is a quote from Cripe that Eagle was probably going to be Jerry's next guitar.

Jerry also played a Guild Starfire semi-hollow in '65 and '66, so if you can come up with a real old recording you can judge for yourself what kind of tone Garcia had playing a semi.

Yeah forsure thats a sweet lookin axe. You could even swap out that bridge pup for a dp104 and split it for north coil active you'd be right in the sweet spot. Throw a waldo buffer in there you could do it all yourself. Those high treble output dimarzes put you in the zone and waldo buffer keeps it true and sweet. If you can get a jerry tone out of a stratocaster which the whole face is plastic holding your electronics ,a sinch to mod, and a bolt on neck. Just a terrible guitar in my personal opinion. The picture I posted was a 24 fretter. It's my new quest with 251/2 scale but that pic the guitar retails for 120 made by Dean. Also as I said check out that SGJ 2014 Gibson here just gorgeous and 24

To the questioner, it's a free world. You want to Jerry-ify your Gretsch Country Gentleman? Your Rick 360? Your Danelectro '67 Heaven? By all means. Just go into it eyes open.

Some guitars just don't match up well with Jerry's music and tone. That's usually because they were designed for something quite different. Rather than force a square peg into a round hole, why not let the square peg fit where it belongs and put your energy towards copping a round peg of your own?

"Playing "Dead" is a huge part of my life, true, but my guitar playing and musical tastes are far, far broader.

I use my Godin LGX-SA for Everclear, Green Day, U2, Goo Goo Dolls, Matisyahu, Cure, Midnight Oil, I could go on and on. It excels in so many places both electrically through its Duncan mag PUPs and acoustically through its LR Baags PUP and preamp.

For Dead? No, doesn't work for that. And I wouldn't want (or advise someone else) to beat one into submission to force it.

You asked for input. This is mine. Believe it if you need it, if you don't just pass it on.

Disclaimers: I'm happy to share whatever relevant gear knowledge or experience I have. Genuflection/payment/proof of worthiness neither sought nor accepted. I don't design, build, market, sell or endorse for pay any new music product or service. I occasionally sell personal used gear. I am an unpaid endorser of SoundScaper Productions and Godfrey Daniels Guitarworks.